Bangladesh’s World Cup hopes to suffer a blow as pace bowler Ebadot Hossain is forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a knee injury.
Ebadot Hossain, the pace bowler from Bangladesh, will be absent from the forthcoming World Cup due to a knee injury, as verified by a Bangladesh Cricket Board official to Cricbuzz on Wednesday. Despite earlier hopes for recovery, Ebadot’s necessity for knee surgery has ruled him out of the tournament.
Ebadot sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the recent ODI series against Afghanistan. The 29-year-old pacer, with 12 ODIs for Bangladesh since his debut last year, was substituted by Tanzim Sakib for the Asia Cup.
“He (Ebadot) will not be available for us in the World Cup. It’s a big blow for us as he will require an operation for his knee. Following the operation, he will certainly need several months for rehabilitation, at least three to four months, so we cannot consider him for the World Cup,” revealed BCB chief selector Minhajul Abedin to Cricbuzz on Wednesday.
Bangladesh’s head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, and ODI captain, Shakib al Hasan, expressed their disappointment over losing Ebadot. In a pre-series press conference, Shakib remarked, “It is very sad that Ebadot is not with us because he was an important part of our team, and taking that into consideration, it is quite disappointing.”
Hathurusingha added, “Ebadot is one of our impact bowlers, the fastest bowler out of the five fast bowlers we played in the last few series. So, it’s a big loss, and to replace him straight away it’s a hard task.”
Ebadot’s absence significantly alters the bowling attack dynamics, particularly in the middle overs. He was instrumental in handling that phase, which allowed Taskin Ahmed to focus on the new ball. Ebadot’s pace was his asset in the middle overs and Taskin’s adaptation to this role remains uncertain.
Hasan Mahmud, more suited for the beginning and death overs, might not be the ideal replacement. Taskin, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shoriful Islam are potential options, but their effectiveness in Ebadot’s role remains to be seen.
Last Updated on August 30, 2023
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